At the Brattleboro Development Credit Corp.’s recent 71st Annual Meeting, gathering with regional stakeholders and partners reminded me of the power of collaboration in rural economic development. Our region has a long history of coming together to face challenges head-on. When the closure of Vermont Yankee loomed, a neutral, policy-oriented task force formed to understand, not debate, the data and economic impact of losing 600 high-paying jobs. When Tropical Storm Irene devastated the region, we came together again, helping neighbors too proud to ask, cleaning up one stick at a time, and rebuilding smarter and stronger. Those efforts took years, not months, and demonstrated the deep collaboration and shared intention that define this region.
When COVID arrived in the spring of 2020, it created a fast-moving, unprecedented crisis. Because we had already built regional and local networks in partnership with chambers, municipalities, and downtown organizations, BDCC was able to help bring federal and state resources to small businesses while guiding them through constantly changing regulations and relief programs. In those uncertain early months, collaboration kept our businesses afloat and our communities informed. That same coordination sustained recovery in the years that followed.
Now, as storm clouds gather once again in the form of a shifting federal funding landscape that threatens small, rural states like Vermont, I am concerned but not discouraged. Southern Vermont has been here before. We know what is possible when we all come together to tackle a defined objective. In Vermont, scale is not our limitation, it is our strength. It allows us to build deep partnerships, stay connected, and design systems that fit our communities.
In larger markets, the supports that help businesses, workers and communities thrive are often provided by well-funded institutions or occur naturally in stronger economies. In rural Vermont, those systems do not exist at the same scale, BDCC works with stakeholders and partners who together step in to fill the gaps. Our work is to connect with all interested stakeholders to build and sustain the infrastructure of opportunity that would not exist here on its own.
That work is often invisible, but it is essential. Dozens of businesses in this region began in BDCC incubation programs. Hundreds of students have graduated with clear career goals through P3 programs.
From first-time founders to seasoned business owners looking to transition, business programming participants are developing financial skills, accessing capital, and engaging in mentorship that supports innovation, growth, and resilience in their ventures.
New Americans are finding jobs and stability while employers gain the workforce they need. Brownfields are now clean and ready for new industry, and with Tri-Park Owners Association, we are creating more than 20 new homes that protect affordability and community stability.
Guided by our Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), BDCC convenes this ecosystem of partners, including downtown groups, chambers, municipalities, planners, lenders, and educators, so that even with limited resources, we move forward together.
As federal resources tighten, our foundation of collaboration will carry us forward. There are no quick or easy fixes ahead, only the hard, steady work of strengthening the systems that support our rural economy. Vermonters have always faced change with ingenuity and grit. By working together, focusing on fundamentals, and investing in the building blocks of economic development, we will ensure our communities remain strong and self-reliant, no matter what storms roll out of Washington.
Find out more about our work and that of our regional partners at brattleborodevelopment.com.
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